Natural Resin Nanofilms through Flexible Coordination for Molecular Separation

Meijie Wang ^1,2, Xinda You ¹, Jiande Lin ^1,3

¹College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
²Institute of Biology and Chemistry, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
³State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China.
⁴SINOPEC Dalian (Fushun) Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Dalian, 116045, China.
⁵Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
⁶Fujian Key Laboratory of Novel Functional Textile Fibers and Materials, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
⁷Fujian Engineering and Research Center of New Chinese Lacquer Materials, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
⁸Multi-disciplinary Research Division, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
⁹Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin, 300072, China.

⁰College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English) +

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November 10, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This study transforms brittle forestry resin into flexible, robust nanofilms using metal-rosin coordination. These novel biomass-based thin films offer durable molecular sieving for advanced nanofiltration applications.

Area Of Science

Materials Science
Biotechnology
Chemical Engineering

Background

Forestry biomass offers sustainable resources for thin-film technologies.
The inherent brittleness of biomass materials limits their application in thin-film processing.
Developing flexible and robust biomass-derived thin films is crucial for sustainable material innovation.

Purpose Of The Study

To overcome the brittleness of forestry biomass for thin-film applications.
To develop mechanically robust and flexible nanofilms from rosin.
To explore the potential of these nanofilms in nanofiltration.

Main Methods

Chemical modification of rosin to create carboxylic derivatives.
Solubilization of derivatives in turpentine, a natural solvent.
Interfacial coordination with aqueous metal ions to assemble nanofilms.
Characterization of mechanical properties (stiffness, elasticity) and nanofiltration performance.

Main Results

Successfully transformed brittle rosin into mechanically robust nanofilms with flexible linkages.
Achieved tunable stiffness (Young's modulus >120 GPa) and high elasticity through metal-rosin coordination.
Demonstrated durable and efficient molecular sieving in nanofiltration membranes with high pressure resistance (up to 20 bar) and permselectivity.

Conclusions

Metal-rosin coordination provides a method to create flexible, robust nanofilms from brittle biomass.
These novel nanofilms show significant potential for advanced nanofiltration and other thin-film applications.
This approach may revolutionize biomass-based thin films by addressing brittleness through flexibility.

Keywords:

Coordination Molecular Separation Nanofilms Nanofiltration Natural resin